US and Russia agree ceasefire across Syria

In a major development in the Syria crisis, world superpowers Russia and the United States agreed to broker a ceasefire w.e.f. Friday night, marking the single biggest move to restore normalcy in the region. Targets such as ISIS and Nusra Front (Al Qaeda’s sub-ordinate in Syria) were excluded from the pact. This ploy is aimed at getting the Syrian government to hold talks face-to-face with the opposition with regard to political transition in Geneva on March 7. This is the first time in the five-year old Syrian Civil War that international negotiations look forward to restoring peace in the country.